Inspirational advice from 5 unstoppable mom entrepreneurs

Whether you’re already a mom entrepreneur or thinking about taking the leap, who better to learn from than other brave, adventurous moms who have been in your shoes—and worn the soles in.

In this roundup, five wise, self-starter moms share their best advice for other moms finding their way.

Know your why

“My best advice for new mompreneurs is to know your why before you start your business. My why when I started was to have a career that was supportive of motherhood. That why helped guide the business path we took. Make sure that the what you do matches your why. When those two things are in sync, you will feel motivated and fulfilled at every stage of your business. Also, make sure you have an attitude to overcome every obstacle that gets in your way. Most entrepreneurs throw in the towel the moment it gets hard. It will get hard. But you have to want success so much that you are determined to find your way to the other side.” @LisaDruxman

Dive in

“Dive in. Don’t wait to figure out the best plan of action. You’ll end up spending a lot of time thinking about it or planning around the actual moving on it. Talk to people. Find out what their reactions are to your business. If you have a product, show people. If you have a new service you’d like to offer, get the word out… to friends, to family, to strangers alike. That’s the only way to truly test what you’ve got to offer and see what the market’s reaction is. You can tweak as you go, but you’ll never know unless you put it out there.” @foundingmom

Get crystal clear on your priorities

“As a mompreneur, your number one challenge that you’ll have to face every single day is how you spend your time. After all, you’re the CEO or “Chief of Everything” officer of your business, your family and your household! And since human cloning still isn’t legal (cross your fingers), you’re still the one responsible for making sure things get done.

“You can bet you’ll be pulled in multiple directions constantly. That’s a given. Don’t be surprised by it! You have to plan for this, accept it, and decide to truly own how you spend your time. So go ahead and get clear on your top priorities—things like your health, your family and your business. Spend your time on those things. And be ruthless about saying no to everything else that the neighbor, the PTA, the mom’s club and soccer coach ask you to do. Create a routine so you know when you’ll get your priorities done. Set clear boundaries, share them with the family, friends and clients, and most importantly: stick to them. I truly believe that how we spend our time as mompreneurs totally determines how happy we are with our lives!” @mombizcoach

Don’t settle for status quo

“At the heart of entrepreneurship is innovation. To be successful, you must embrace your inner rebel and break free from the status quo. If everyone is lined up at the front door, find the backdoor. Listen to what the industry “experts” preach as the gospel and do the opposite. Use your head, but always follow your gut. When you’re bold enough to blaze your own trail, you create not only a product—but a story. A story is what transforms an ordinary company into the extraordinary. And in today’s crowded marketplace, there simply isn’t room for ordinary. To be truly “extra” ordinary, you must go the “extra” mile. Never settle for being yet another faceless product on the shelf screaming for attention. Instead, challenge yourself to create a brand story so compelling the world can’t help but share it.” @glamajama

Stay green

“When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot. Often you can pick out a new entrepreneur based on ‘the glow.’ That glow comes from the excited optimism, the thrill of seeking new information and the constant flurry of marketing. All new entrepreneurs need to ‘bottle’ that glow and keep it nurtured over the long haul.

“Keep learning. Resourceful entrepreneurs continue to learn on the job, put themselves in good learning situations and place great importance on their professional development and training. Never suggest that you know it all (because you don’t!). If you start to think that, learning something new will offer additional insight.

“Keep innovating. Innovate process, product, anything! Innovation creates change, improvement, new learning and continued excitement. Change the roles you fill within the company so you can become an expert in more areas of your business.” @momstownca

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